


Celebrations

by DanielLazerus



Category: Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, Trifecta
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-04
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-04-02 19:13:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4071418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanielLazerus/pseuds/DanielLazerus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hiyori's birthday is coming up. How will Trifecta commemorate the occasion? Regardless, Yokozawa will learn in the process that celebration has all kinds of incarnations. You know these boys: growls, misunderstandings, and fluff are all mandatory. Rated "M" for certain non-birthday related celebratory moments... </p><p>Originally posted on FanFiction.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first of my fics to move over from FF. Originally published there on 02-29-12, "Celebrations" is located at FF under my "Don't Preach" penname. Now it's here too!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Sekai ichi Hatsukoi or any of its characters... but I do love them.

______________________  
Yokozawa opened the door to the Kirishimas’ apartment. It had been a hellacious day at work.

_Fucking Takano, challenging me at every turn on the numbers for printing at our weekly meeting. Who does that ass think has to peddle all the extra issues if the stores don't sell the way he anticipates? He's so damn cocky._

He was about to call out and see if Hiyori was home when he looked down and noticed her small white tennies with the kitten lace ornaments neatly lined up against the hall entry wall. Immediately the storm cloud Yokozawa had been functioning under for the last three hours broke and he felt his heart smile even if his mouth didn't.

It wasn't as though Hiyori needed supervision. She had managed on her own long before he'd arrived on the scene. Still, he fretted about her being home alone. He always felt the little extra burden in his heart he picked up on his way out the door each morning, set back down the moment he returned to find her safe.

Once he'd asked Kirishima how he managed not to go crazy with worry. Kirishima's laughing reply was that he had, at least until he came along. Now that Yokozawa was doing enough worrying for the both of them, Kirishima just hadn't felt the need to keep his up.

Frowning at this recollection, Yokozawa shifted his attention back to the present. Seeing that Hiyori was home, he wondered why she hadn't been there to greet him.

_She knew I was coming._

He had texted her on the way there, asking if he needed to pick anything up from the store. Setting down his work satchel and the small bag of groceries he'd acquired on the way home, Yokozawa noticed another pair shoes lined up next to Hiyori's. He quickly identified them as belonging to her best friend, Yuki.

_Ah, that explains it._

The two were no doubt holed up in Hiyori's room deeply engaged in the mysterious rites of girlhood.

Both girls were by themselves quite a bit, since Yuki's parents worked as well. So, living in the same building, they alternated between each other's apartments regularly. Although since Yokozawa had started returning home earlier than the other adults when he could, Hiyori and Yuki had started spending more time at the Kirishima's.

Yokozawa took off his shoes.

He supposed it was good his being able to be at home earlier also allowed Kirishima to focus more clearly on his job. He’d heard positive things lately about Injuuin's editor's increased productivity through the overactive Marukawa grapevine. He had even overheard it speculated that perhaps Kirishima had gotten married again, though he no longer wore a ring.

But Kirishima was not the only one seeing benefits from their recent "arrangement." Despite his new self-imposed schedule, Yokozawa's job performance had improved as well.

While he had always been efficient and often was ahead of the game in terms of his work, even though he wasn't staying as late as he used to he was getting more done. Yokozawa had realized just lately, that before he started spending so much time with the Kirishimas, he would draw things out at work. His workaholic tendencies due in part because he was avoiding his empty apartment. Often times, in fact, it was only his guilt about Sorata that had ever even brought him home.

Now, he was working even harder and taking fewer breaks, so that he could get home to Hiyori. Plus, though he'd never admit it, he liked cooking with her and having a meal prepared when Kirishima returned from work.

It also didn't hurt that he drank so much less these days. In fact, Yokozawa couldn't remember the last time he'd woken up with a hangover and still had to haul his ass in to Marukawa. This new morning clarity seemed to be helping his productivity as well, though previously he'd never really considered it a problem. His relative alcoholic abstinence was also helping his bank account, as was the fact he was now living with the Kirishima's full time.

Zen had finally convinced him to move in with them to save him all the time he'd been spending commuting, surprisingly agreeing when he insisted on having his own room for propriety in front of Hiyori. So, with this new arrangement he'd reluctantly allowed the lease on his own apartment to run out.

Not having his own space hadn’t bothered Yokozawa nearly as much as he thought it might. He wondered if this was a defect in his masculine character as he hung up his coat.

This was something he was somewhat sensitive about, not that’d he’d ever reveal this. It didn’t help his anxieties that now his old place was gone, Kirishima absolutely refused to accept any money from him for the room he was occupying.  


The last time he’d complained about this, they had been arguing about this while sharing an elevator ride at work. Kirishima had pointed to the key case he was holding, the one they had exchanged for his birthday.

_"I proposed to you remember?" Kirishima indicated the apartment key. "How would it look then for me to take your money. Besides," His eyes had twinkled, "you know too, I like to keep you in my debt a bit, Yokozawa. Just in case you ever got some crazy idea about changing your mind."_

Yokozawa's brow furrowed at the memory.

"Over-confident ass," he muttered under his breath as he picked up his work bag and the groceries and moved into the front room. Despite Zen’s refusal for rent, Yokozawa did what he could to compensate anyways: buying little things for around the house and purchasing all the groceries. He needed to, not to feel like a kept man.

_Or a wife._

No sooner had he stepped away from this thought and into the entry, there was a flurry of delicate feet and high-pitched giggles as the two girls rushed out of Hiyori's bedroom to meet him.

"Onii-chan," Hiyori was breathless, her eyes shone with pleasure. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here to greet you. You're home earlier than I thought you'd be and I didn't hear you come in."

Yokozawa relinquished the grocery bag into Hiyori's outstretched hands.

"Yuki-chan." Yokozawa returned Hiyori's wide-eyed cohort's bowed greeting with a dip of his chin. Yuki always acted slightly awed around him. As usual she'd remained standing slightly off to the side, but this didn’t offend Yokozawa, he was used to people keeping a safe distance from him.

"Oh, Onii-chan, you got those macaroons I like again!" Hiyori squeaked appreciatively peeking into the bag. "May Yuki and I have one, please?"

"Mmmm, is your homework done?"

"Yes! Well, all but my English and I wondered if you would help with that after dinner?"

Yokozawa nodded at this. "You and Yuki have been behaving yourselves then?"

"Yes, Onii-chan." Hiyori sounded just slightly exasperated by the question. She rolled her eyes and Yokozawa wondered at this thing he perceived as a womanly gesture.

He walked over to Sorata who had risen to welcome him home from the place where he'd been comfortably curled at the end of the sofa. "Is that true, Sorata? Have Hiyo-chan and Yuki-chan been conducting themselves responsibly?" 

The black and white cat pushed up into his outstretched hand purring. Yokozawa turned to Hiyori and Yuki.

"Well, since Sorata tells me you have been behaving, I suppose you can have one. But no more; I don't want you to spoil your dinner."

Hiyori tittered at her Onii-chan questioning the cat: it wasn't often that Yokozawa behaved so whimsically. 

"Thank you, Onii-chan!" She and Yuki both dashed into the kitchen to put the shopping away, all the while chattering delightedly about the unexpected treat.

At his appearance in the kitchen doorway a moment later, both girls looked at Yokozawa pink-cheeked for abandoning him so eagerly. Their embarrassment was cute, but Yokozawa kept his face carefully unaffected. 

"I'll come in and put the things away that go on the high shelves in a minute," he offered before heading down the hall to his room to change out of his work clothes.  
________________________________________

An hour later found Yokozawa and Hiyori in the kitchen cooking dinner.

Yuki's mother had stopped by a half hour earlier and picked up her daughter. It was still a bit uncomfortable for Yokozawa, the keen-eyed, wondering way the woman looked at him sometimes, but he was finally growing used to it.

He reached into the pocket of the green and white striped apron he wore, the least feminine one that he could find, and pulled out his phone. Kirishima kept bringing home new aprons, each one more frilly than the last just to tease him. Yokozawa scowled at the thought as he looked at the time.

"Hiyori, your father should be home any minute, why don't you wash your hands and go out so you can greet him when he gets here?"

"Okay, Onii-chan," .

Just then his phone vibrated, Yokozawa flipped it open to read the text.

_Will be late. Don't hold dinner. Kisses, Zen._

A warm heat filled Yokozawa’s cheeks, following the quiet pang of disappointment at the change in schedule. He frowned and immediately deleted the text. The last thing he ever wanted someone to see was a message from another man sending him kisses.

"Change in plans. Your father just messaged he's going to be late," Yokozawa said over the sink's running water.

"That's okay, Onii-chan." Hiyori smiled as he handed her a towel for her hands. "I don't mind if it's just the two of us having dinner."

The truth of it was, Hiyori liked the times it was just the two of them. Despite the fact she was incredibly close to her papa, she was able to talk to her Onii-chan sometimes with an openness she couldn't risk with her father.

"Oooooh, I like this song!" Hiyori all but squealed, causing Yokozawa to start. She dashed over to the radio that had been playing low in the background and turned up the volume. A poppy dance tune filled the warm kitchen. "Do you know how to dance, Onii-chan?" she asked, turning away from the radio.

Yokozawa grunted noncommittally. It had been ages since he'd danced, the last time being probably in early high school.

"Will you teach me then?"

"Wha…?" Yokozawa turned away from the vegetables he been sautéing and looked at Hiyori with an expression of disbelief. He grimaced, however, seeing how eager her eyes were.

"Why would you need to know? You're too young for dancing anyway."

"I'll be eleven next week though." 

"Really?" Yokozawa pulled out a new frown at this information. This was the first time heard anything about it. He wondered why Kirishima hadn't mentioned anything to him about his daughter's birthday.

"Please, Onii-chan? Just spin me once?" Hiyori's eyes were bright with hope.

He could hardly tell her "no" when her expression was so earnest. Yokozawa couldn't help wondering how many hearts she was going to break in a few years. 

"Fine," he grumbled, "but just one spin." He stepped towards her, wiping his hands on his apron. 

"Here, give me your hands." 

Yokozawa marveled as always at how delicate Hiyori was. He could fit her two hands easily inside one of his big paws. He showed her a few simple steps and then spun her. Hiyori approached the steps with the utmost seriousness but the spin made her giggle with delight.

Her laughter was such wonderful sound, that of course one spin turned into half a dozen. There probably would have been more too, but Yokozawa stopped abruptly and stiffened, when he suddenly heard a rich chuckle emanating from behind him. He turned to see Kirishima lounging in the kitchen doorway.

"Papa, you're home!" Hiyori cried, quickly waltzing over to meet him.

Kirishima smiled back warmly and extend a lean arm. He took Hiyori's hand and gave his daughter a twirl of his own.

"Papa, Onii-chan was teaching me how to dance!" She exclaimed breathlessly.

"So I saw," Kirishima shot his lover a sly grin as he moved over to the refrigerator to get a beer.

"You said you were going to be late," Yokozawa grumbled.

"Ah, well, that was a bit of a fib. I wanted to surprise you. But not nearly so much it seems as you surprised me, Takafumi," Kirishima's eyes glittered mischievously. "I always knew you were light on your feet," he teased.

Yokozawa turned back to the stove. It wasn't nearly as hot as his face at the moment.

"Go sit at the table; Hiyori set it earlier; dinner's ready," he growled.

After watching Hiyori carry the first dish out to the table, Kirishima took the opportunity, the minute she was out of sight, to place a light kiss on his lover’s lightly flushed cheek. "Whatever you say twinkle toes." 

Then Kirishima laughed, and quickly danced his way out of the kitchen before Yokozawa had the chance to retaliate.


	2. Invitations

________________________________________  
When Yokozawa emerged from the kitchen, sans-apron and carrying the last dish, he noted that although his beer was there, Kirishima's spot at the head of the table was vacant.

_Probably went to get cleaned up._

Setting the vegetables down, he took his place across from a smiling Hiyori. 

When he had first started taking meals with the Kirishimas, he'd sat at the opposite end of the table. However, Kirishima had complained and teased relentlessly about how far away he was despite the table’s relatively small size. Eventually, for the sake of peace, he had grudgingly relocated to sit next to his lover. Even after months of sitting there now, Kirishima still periodically murmured how nice it was to have those he cared about so close at hand.

_Sentimental fool._

Even as he thought this however, Yokozawa was annoyed to find that his heart held sentiments quite to the contrary.

A few minutes later Kirishima returned in a casual shirt and a pair of sweats. Yokozawa’s brow dipped at this, his own attire, even at home, tending to be more crisp.

"How are my two lovelies this evening?" Kirishima beamed at his table mates. Then he eyed the delicious looking meal laid out on the table appreciatively.

"I am not lovely; I am a man," Yokozawa growled softly, before they uttered their usual quick blessing.

"You are a lovely man then, Yokozawa," Kirishima's eyes glowed with warmth and good-humor.

Yokozawa snorted at this in disgust and Hiyori giggled.

At least she started to giggle, until Yokozawa fixed her with what he felt was a rather harsh look. Then she immediately stopped, hiding her mouth behind her hand. Even so, her eyes sparkled not too unlike her father's.

Yokozawa sighed: he was outnumbered.  
________________________________________

The rest of the dinner went well enough. A good part of it was spent in comfortable silence, broken by Kirishima's questions about Hiyori's day and her loquacious answers. Most of Hiyori’s news, Yokozawa had already heard when they were cooking, but still he enjoyed listening to the gentle father-daughter banter.

Just as they were finishing up, Kirishima reached into his sweat's pocket and took out an envelope. "This came for you, Hiyo." He held it out.

Yokozawa noted a peculiar expression on Kirishima's face. Hiyori took the envelope and for a moment her face too became serious. 

"May I open it now, Papa?"

"Ummm," Kirishima nodded. He watched Hiyori carefully unseal it and take out a beautiful card.

Aware that there was something personal going on between Kirishima and his daughter, Yokozawa dropped his eyes and pretended to be distracted by Sorata. Sorata had smelled the fish his gray-eyed master had prepared for dinner and was winding himself forlornly around the leg of the table, hoping for a scrap.

"You're too fat as it is, Sora-chan."

Sorata stared at Yokozawa unblinkingly, knowing the false-growl in the chide too well, and that a tidbit was sure to follow. The cat stepped up, happy to be proven right. As his owner offered him the last sliver of fish from his bowl, Sorata's tail adopted a particular crook of appreciation.

Looking up from his fuzzy beggar, Yokozawa noticed the moment between the table's other occupants had passed.

"See my pretty card, Onii-chan?" Hiyori smiled, got up, and came around the table to stand next to him. She showed him an ornate hand-cut, paper stencil of some kittens playing with a ball of yarn.

"Fancy,” Yokozawa offered, though personally he felt such niceties of design were lost on his blunt sensibilities.

"It's from Hiyo's mama's parents," Kirishima supplied as Hiyori handed her father the check her grandparents had included. "Hiyo's birthday is next week. They send her a special card for her birthday every year."

"Hiyori mentioned her birthday was coming up to me earlier this evening." Yokozawa’s voice was laced with an edge of accusation. 

If Kirishima heard this he didn't acknowledge it. "Most of this is going into your savings like usual, Hiyo, but you can get something special with part of it. What do you think you might want to get this year?"

After a moment of serious contemplation Hiyori looked at her father. "May I get an outfit, Papa? The school festival is coming up and it would be nice to have something new to wear."

Kirishima shrugged his assent. "Do you want me to ask Yuki's mother to go with you again this year and help pick it out?  
"  
"No… I want Onii-chan to take me this time," Hiyori said softly.

Yokozawa had been studying the design on the card as he finished the last bit of his tea. He was wondering how someone ever had the patience to be so intricate when he heard Hiyori's reply.

"What?" He choked on his tea. "Why in the hel... I mean, why in the world, would you want me to help you with something like that?"

"Please, Onii-chan?" Hiyori pleaded. "It's my birthday after all. We can go to the mall together. It'll be fun!"

"Fun?" Yokozawa asked, still sputtering.

"I think that's a splendid idea, Taka-chan." Kirishima smiled brilliantly.

Yokozawa shot his lover a furious glare at both the playful alteration of his name and his enthusiasm for Hiyori's proposal. "If you think it's so splendid, I imagine that means you'll be coming with us?"

"Oh… no… I wouldn't dream of it." Kirishima laughed. "I think it'll be a great bonding experience for you and I wouldn't think of intruding. Plus, I'd like Hiyori's new outfit to be a surprise and if I went, then it wouldn't be, would it?"

After one more scowl at Kirishima, Yokozawa looked at the little girl standing next to him, her big eyes expectant and hopeful. How could he refuse?

"When do you want to go then?" 

Hiyori bounced slightly on her heels with excitement. "Can we go tomorrow, Onii-chan?"

Yokozawa almost felt his trepidation leave him seeing how excited his agreement made Hiyori. "I have to go into work in the morning, but if things aren't too busy, I suppose we could go in the afternoon."

Pleased with how her Onii-chan's tone had gentled, Hiyori scrunched her nose in pleasure at this possibility.

"You clear the table and get your homework out while your father and I wash the dishes," Yokozawa ordered, wanting to bring an end to the conversation before he got roped into anything else.

"Hooray!" Hiyori began to gather up the bowls from the table.

Yokozawa watched her head into the kitchen, Sorata close on her heels. "And no scraps for Sorata," he admonished.

Sorata paused in his step, turned, and glared at him with slightly flattened ears. Seeing this, Kirishima burst out laughing.

"I read somewhere that pets and their owners eventually begin to look like each other, but this is the first time I've seen it!"

"Oh, hush!" Yokozawa grumbled as he stood up and gathered the last of the things from the table following Sorata into the kitchen in the same tail-fluffed manner.  
________________________________________

Later Yokozawa and Kirishima were in the kitchen doing the dishes.

More accurately, Yokozawa was doing the dishes while Kirishima leaned up against the counter watching him work. Kirishima did this, despite Yokozawa's numerous assertions he was not the "wife" and his demands that if he didn't cook he at least assist with the cleanup.

Hiyori was in the other room getting her schoolwork spread out on the table.

Seeing the lightening starting to crackle in the gray clouds of his lover's gaze, Kirishima finally picked up a dishtowel and clumsily began drying one of the newly washed dishes.

Yokozawa looked over and his brow ticked slightly, wondering how long it would be before the man dropped it.

Glancing up from the bowl he was holding, Kirishima cocked his head to the side, waiting to be corrected on his faulty drying technique.

"Do you really think it's a good idea for me to take Hiyori shopping?" Yokozawa had a slight undertone of nervousness in his voice. 

Realizing that this was the cause of his lover's distress and not his lack of assistance, Kirishima set the towel and the dish back down.

"Yes, I think it's great. And it obviously means a lot to Hiyo," he offered in a rare moment of seriousness.

"What if someone asks what I'm doing with her?" Yokozawa muttered. He shot a sharp look at his lover. "Remember that day you asked me to pick her up from school and forgot to call and tell them I was coming to get her?"

Kirishima's lips quirked up at the memory and he chuckled. "You need to relax Takafumi, you just look too suspicious when you try not to."

"Easy for you to think it's funny! You're not the one who almost got arrested!"

Seeing his lover's discomfort, Kirishima stepped over and set a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Just tell them you're her stepfather. For all intents and purposes, you are and I'm sure Hiyori wouldn't mind. She'll vouch for you."

The way Kirishima said these words and the way they indicated his inclusion in his small family touched Yokozawa's heart.

"Why don't you go help Hiyori with her English; I'll finish these," he mumbled uncomfortably.

"You sure?" Kirishima looked slightly surprised.

"Well you sure as hell aren't helping here and you're better at English than I am anyways!"

Kirishima grinned and his hand slid down from Yokozawa's shoulder to the small of his back. "Ah but you're more patient than I am, Yokozawa."

Yokozawa stared intently back, his face un-amused. He pulled a soapy hand from the sink and used it to push Kirishima's hand off. "Don't I know it! 

"Someone is giving me all kinds of practice. Now go get your ass out there and help your daughter."  
________________________________________

Yokozawa looked up briefly from where he was working at the dining room table as Kirishima emerged from the hall after saying a final goodnight to Hiyori. He’d pulled out his work bag and fired up his laptop to finish some reports while Kirishima had sat at the other end of the table helping Hiyori with her English.

"She's out already," Kirishima, said before ducking into the kitchen for another beer. He emerged a moment later with two and passed one over."Did you go smoke?" he asked curiously but without accusation, knowing that Yokozawa had been trying to cut down.

"Ummmm, I stepped out onto the balcony for a minute while you were tucking Hiyori-chan in, yes," Yokozawa muttered absently. His eyes had returned to his screen and he was still scanning his columns of numbers.

Then he looked up. "Why didn't you mention Hiyori's birthday sooner?"

Kirishima cracked the top on his beer. "I was going to, but then I kept forgetting. You know outside of publication deadlines, I'm terrible with dates."

Yokozawa looked at his unopened beer and then pushed it aside. "What are you going to do then to celebrate?"

"When she was younger I used to go all out. Have a big party, shower her with presents. I think I was trying to compensate for her mother not being here." Kirishima sighed and studied the beer can he was gently rolling around between his large hands.

Yokozawa dropped his eyes to his beer and wondered suddenly if he shouldn't open it after all: an uncomfortable lump had just formed in his throat. He raised his head and saw Kirishima gazing at him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stir painful memories."

"No, they were good memories," Kirishima's eyes were tender, "because Hiyori was always so happy. She hardly remembers her mother, so I don't think she understood what she was missing... Not like I did anyways."

"This year instead of a party though, she'd like me to take her and Yuki to an amusement park for the day." Kirishima lifted his beer can for a swig.

"Really?" Yokozawa felt a sense of relief that Kirishima wasn't going to ask him to help arrange anything then. "That sounds relatively easy."

"She'd like you to come too." 

Yokozawa frowned at this. He wasn't really an amusement park kind of a guy. His unopened beer now seemed even more appealing. Rather than open it though, he made a bold move and pulled the already opened can gently from between Kirishima's hands. This way he could just take a sip and not drink a whole one: he'd become wise to Kirishima's methods of seduction.

He took a drink, ignoring Kirishima's widening eyes at this indirect kiss. "Okay," He sighed, knowing that he'd be coaxed into eventually anyway.

"Really?" Kirishima retrieved the beer quickly, setting his lips on the exact spot where his had just been.

"Ummm, yes." Yokozawa nodded and turned his eyes back to his screen ignoring his lover’s sly look.

Undeterred by this rejection, Kirishima set his beer down. He stood up and slipped around behind Yokozawa. Running a warm hand down inside Yokozawa's open shirt collar, deft fingers skimmed the skin of Yokozawa's chest and brushed the tip of a hardening nipple.

"I'd like you to cum too," He leaned down and whispered in Yokozawa' ear. "Tell me, will you be so agreeable to my request this evening as well, Takafumi?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and all the kudos already! You guys rock!


	3. Negotiations

Though Yokozawa remained silent, beneath his hand, Kirishima could feel his chest hitch at his words. Reading this as a positive sign, he pressed further.

"I want you in my bed tonight, Takafumi."

Yokozawa shifted his neck slightly as Kirishima began to worry the outer edge of his ear with little kissing nibbles. He cleared his throat with low growling noise of protest, but when he spoke his voice was heavy with unarticulated want.

"I told you, not while Hiyori's here, Zen. It's not proper."

Thrilled by the use of his first name and the promise this contained, Kirishima stopped nipping and moved his mouth, pressing a kiss against a pulse point on Yokozawa's neck that made his lover shiver.

He smiled against heating skin. "You're not suggesting we leave Hiyo-chan alone then and head to our usual spot?" Kirishima nuzzled his nose against the underside of Yokozawa's jaw.

"No, of course not!" Yokozawa snapped in a barking whisper.

Ever since living together, they had rarely been intimate within the confines of the apartment, taking lunch hours and the occasional afternoon or early evening "meeting" in the love hotel district. Though this arrangement was not ideal, it allowed them to come together in the ways that temporarily satisfied their ever-increasing appetites for each other (not that Yokozawa would ever admit to his), without risking being caught by Hiyori.

"Are you afraid she'll wake up? I promise you, my baby girl sleeps like a stone," Kirishima coaxed. "Besides I can be quiet, Takafumi. The question is: _Can you_?"

At the mention of his propensity for noisesome lovemaking, Yokozawa leaned forward and tried to get away from Kirishima's tempting touch.

This was to no avail as Kirishima leaned after, following him. "Maybe we should move this conversation to somewhere more private…"

"I need you tonight, Takafumi," Kirishima ran the hand not inside Yokozawa's shirt through his lover's shaggy hair. Yokozawa closed his eyes at the electric thrill of this touch: his head had always been extremely sensitive. Kirishima's stroking fingers made another pass, this time grazing the skin behind one of his ears.

Yokozawa exhaled louder than he'd intended. "What are you suggesting?" realizing as he said this, he sounded far more eager than he'd like.

Kirishima's large hand left his head and caught his jaw. He pulled Yokozawa back by this, leaned over a bit more, caught his mouth, and kissed him deeply. He broke the kiss after a long, tongue-filled minute and straightened.

"Have another cigarette and meet me in the bathroom when you're done." Kirishima headed off in an easy amble. He turned at the entrance to the back hall and grinned, his light-brown eyes shining. "We're going to take a shower together. We can lock the door and Hiyori won't be able to hear anything over the water. That is, as long you don't yell too outrageously."

"I'll make you yell outrageously here in a minute," Yokozawa muttered under his breath at the teasing.

"What?" Kirishima cocked his brow, leaning casually against the wall.

"I said give me five minutes."

Yokozawa dropped his eyes and reached for his open pack of cigarettes on the table.

* * *

Hand on the door to the bath, Yokozawa hesitated before opening it.He chided himself for the tense knot he felt in his stomach and the flutter in his chest. Still, even after all these months, he found the situation he was in disconcerting.

He had never felt he was "one of those" men. His affections had been limited to Takano for so long he thought that his attraction went beyond the constraints of gender. Considering this, that he had fallen for another man unnerved him. What was even more disconcerting, however, was how palpable this new man's affection for him was. Sure, Kirishima was bothersome as hell with his teasing, but even with this Yokozawa still had a sense that he was cherished.

He scowled.

_This is a terrible feeling._

Terrible in the fact that he didn't just like it: it was something he craved. Yokozawa despised this weakness in himself and feared how much more painful it would be when Kirishima finally grew tired of his surly ways and asked him to leave.

"Are you going to stand on the other side of that door all night, Takafumi?" Kirishima's light laughter pealed from inside the bath.

Yokozawa's frown deepened and he pushed the door open. He dropped his eyes seeing Kirishima standing there already naked. He turned and closed the door behind him. "How in the hell did you know I was out there?" He kept his back turned and began to undress, pulling his shirttails out of his trousers.

Yokozawa felt Kirishima step up behind him and strong arms slip around his waist. He pretended to ignore the hands that were now rapidly unfastening his belt buckle.

"That black cloud you carry with you had begun seeping under the door." Kirishima's hands slid the belt out of its loops.

 Yokozawa grunted as his own hands moved up to undo the buttons on his shirt. "Right." His fingers caught for a moment, as Kirishima's hot mouth found his neck. He held his breath as his skin recorded the particular pattern of Kirishima's lips.

This was usually Kirishima's approach when he wanted to top.

Yokozawa cleared his throat. "So you want 'in' tonight." He growled it as a statement and not as a question.

Flexing his shoulders to create a bit of space between them, he shrugged off his shirt. Then he grabbed the edges of the thin tanked-tee he was wearing beneath this and began pulling it over his head. He'd just managed to get his head free when he felt Kirishima grab him by his belt loops and turn him around. As he brought his arms down, Kirishima ducked under them so that his straightened elbows rested on his shoulders, his forearms still sleeved in the body of his tee-shirt.

Kirishima had not dropped his belt. He looped it around Yokozawa's strong neck and gathered the two ends together in one hand. Using this, he pulled Yokozawa into another deep kiss that ended with a nip on his lover's bottom lip. Yokozawa tried to pull back but the crisp leather of the belt bit into the back of his neck. The feel of this made his stiffening dick quicken.

Their faces just inches apart now. Kirishima's brilliant brown eyes gleamed; he smiled broadly.

"Yes, I'd like 'in.' _If _ you don't mind obliging me." As he said this, the hand not holding the belt slipped down and undid Yokozawa's trousers.

Yokozawa's gray gaze held Kirishima's, even as a warm hand pushed beneath the fabric of his boxers. Kirishima bypassed Yokozawa's blood-thick cock to slip down further and give his aroused sac a squeeze.

Closing his eyes, Yokozawa's head dropped forward slightly resting against Kirishima's. He bit his lip to keep from groaning as his lover continued to knead him.

"What do you say, Takafumi?" Kirishima breathed. "I propose an exchange. I promise to make it well worth your while."

A light moan escaped Yokozawa's lips as Kirishima's hand moved up, grabbed his cock, and began stroking it. Yokozawa's eyes opened and he and Kirishima regarded each other in sensual challenge.

"Fine," He finally growled his acquiescence. "But you better not fucking come inside me."

Kirishima chuckled at this. He released both Yokozawa's belt and his cock, ducked out from under his arms, stepped over to the shower and turned it on. As the sounds and steam of the spray filled the room he turned back.

"When have I ever done that?" He laughed as he stepped into the shower.

Yokozawa finished pulling out of his shirt, stepped out of his pants and his boxers, and bent down to take off his socks.

"Only like every single time, you ass!"

_Speaking of which…_

Despite his best intentions not to,Yokozawa looked up and cast a surreptitious eye at Kirishima's fine backside only to find himself caught in the act as Kirishima glanced back over his shoulder. He felt a light blush rise to his cheeks and told himself it was due to the steam. Yokozawa felt his cheeks suddenly grow hotter, however, when Kirishima winked at him.

"My ass indeed... but yours first." Seeing the mounting fluster in his partner, Kirishima smiled anew.

"Hurry up, Takafumi, I promise I'll try and be good this time."

"Yeah, right." Yokozawa muttered as he stood up and followed, stepping into the shower behind him.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Your kudos and bookmarks make my day!


	4. Showers

* * *

Yokozawa no sooner stepped into the shower than he felt large, strong hands on his shoulders. He hadn't even had a chance to get used to the kiss of the hot spray on his skin, before Kirishima backed him up against the tiled wall and began showering him with his own.

Kirishima's hands slipped off Yokozawa's shoulders, down his lean arms, and entwined their fingers. Once he'd captured Yokozawa's hands, he lifted them and pressed them up on either side of his lover's dark head.

Yokozawa felt the slippery tiles of the shower walls against the backs of his hands. His shoulders and ass collided with the wall soon after as Kirishima leaned into him. He was about to complain about being manhandled (not that he truly minded it), but before he could even utter a good growl, the mouth that had been grazing along his collarbones, slipped up and enveloped his lips, cutting off any protests.

A muscular thigh slipped between his legs and pressed against his rising sac. Yokozawa felt a stiff cock brush hot against his hip and grunted as Kirishima's thigh pressed higher. Against Kirishima's petitioning mouth, he "grrred".

This made Kirishima smile in the midst of their kiss. Yokozawa could feel this shift in expression though his eyes were closed. He blinked slowly open and found Kirishima gazing intently back, a dozen different flames of pleasure burning brightly in brown eyes.

Kirishima pulled back from his grinned kiss. His smile stole Yokozawa's breath.

Cautiously Kirishima released Yokozawa's hands, though they hovered above them a moment in case he lashed out. Brow twitching at this challenge, after a moment of intense internal debate, Yokozawa did move them; but rather than reach out and push Kirishima away, he slid them slowly up the wall further and tucked them behind his shaggy wet head.

Seeing this, Kirishima's grin widened.

"Such a good boy, Taka-chan."

Leaning back in, Kirishima gave a gentle kiss in reward, one far more tender than his previous attentions. His hands moved to cup each side of Yokozawa's jaw. When he pulled back from their oral embrace, he brushed a thumb over his lover's kiss bruised bottom lip.

"Do you know what you do to me, Takafumi?"

Yokozawa said nothing, but his twitching brow and cock spoke eloquently for him: Kirishima was not the only one stirred.

Kirishima felt his lover's member start. He dropped one hand to stroke Yokozawa's rigid dick again as he lowered his head down and began placing a number of gentle biting kisses on his neck.

Gray eyes closed at the thrill of the mouth on his sensitive skin. Yokozawa tightened the grip of his hands in his hair as he tipped his jaw up and refrained from reaching out. Behind closed lids, his other senses were heightened by this self-imposed blindness. He sucked in his breath as Kirishima stopped stroking his cock and rubbed a thumb over its head.

"Fuck." Yokozawa groaned at the brush against the tender flesh. He could feel the vibrations of Kirishima's chuckle against his skin every place they were touching and it set his balls buzzing. He could feel the tickling sensation rising into his cock.

It had only been two days, since they'd last been together and he was shocked at how pent up he was.

When he'd been with Takano, it had sometimes been months in between coupling and then, the last few years there had been almost nothing. His body it seemed, was desperate to catch up on all the passion he'd postponed for so long.

Kirishima's wet hair tickled his chest as he dipped his mouth down. Yokozawa hissed as one of his nipples was caught in a sucking kiss that then turned into a nipping tug. Kirishima moved his head back a bit and Yokozawa felt himself flush as his back arched automatically pushing his chest forward, aching for the lips on him to linger.

Seeing this, Kirishima moved back in to swirl the perked flesh of his nipple with his tongue. His hand resumed pumping Yokozawa's cock.

"You have no idea how fucking much you turn me on when you allow yourself to be lewd, Takafumi," Kirishima murmured as his tongue licked across his lover's slick chest to offer its lingual adoration to the other dark disc.

"Do you truly have no sense of how hot you are? How brutally handsome?"

Of course Kirishima was garrulous normally, but Yokozawa had been far more accustomed to silence during the act. He was still getting used to how verbal his lover was when they were sexual, as well as the praises he so easily uttered.

He grunted at Kirishima's words, but somewhere in the middle of the noise it turned into a pleasured groan as Kirishima's teeth began to lightly worry him while the hand not holding his cock moved lower, between his legs, and began to massage his sac with gentle pulling motions.

"I'm lewd? How many guys were you with to get so damn good at this?"

Kirishima pulled his mouth away. "What? You mean jacking off?" He was amused by the underlying jealousy in Yokozawa's tone.

"Mmmmmm," Yokozawa nodded, but he didn't trust his voice to answer: Kirishima's manipulations were so exquisite.

As Kirishima slid back up, their slick chests grazed against each other. His hands stilled as he leaned in and whispered in Yokozawa's ear.

"Ah, Takafumi, in all honesty, it was mostly 'self-study.' Before you, because of Hiyo, my partners were few and far between and more often female than male."

Yokozawa frowned at this. He suddenly felt bad for bringing up Kirishima's past at such a moment, as well as being annoyed by the fact that, at his question, Kirishima had ceased in his motions. He opened his eyes and turned to look at Kirishima and was greeted by a warm gaze.

Obviously the man had not taken any offense at his words. In fact, instead, he smiled mischievously.

"There is something, however, that I would like to perfect and think I am going to need a lot more practice at."

Yokozawa's dipped brow rose at this. "Oh?"

"Ummmm," Kirishima nodded his eyes glinting. Yokozawa's own eyes widened as suddenly, Kirishima gracefully sank to his knees before him.

"Damn!" Yokozawa gasped before biting down on his bottom lip to keep from making any more exclamations as a tongue traveled over his dripping tip and a hot mouth enveloped the head of his cock.

He was already so stirred that between Kirishima's hands and his mouth within moments he was on the verge. It embarrassed him to think he could be finished off so easily. Frantically, his mind sought some kind of distraction in the hopes it would keep him from coming.

_Sales stats, baseball scores, Onodera Ritsu... That scabby stray cat I saw near the office pulling something fetid from a dumpster..._

All the usual things generally guaranteed to keep him from dropping over the edge weren't working.

Kirishima could feel his lover's tension. He stopped stroking and tightened his grip at the base of Yokozawa's shaft. He slipped his mouth off the spit-slick cock.

"Don't worry, Taka-chan. I have no intention of letting you come until you're begging for it."

Yokozawa knew better than to snort at this: he'd become only too well acquainted with his lover's sensual torments.

No sooner had Kirishima said this, than the man returned his attentions to his straining member.

"Oh, fuck…"

Yokozawa uttered a guttural moan as Kirishima enveloped him again and that glorious mouth resumed its motions. He could no longer refrain. His hands drifted down to rest lightly on the water-dark head below him. His fingers sought anchor in the thick, wet locks.

Suddenly Kirishima began to unexpectedly hum around him. Tears of ecstasy sprung into Yokozawa's eyes at the sensation; his chest hitched with rasping breaths. Finally, when he could bear the boiling-build of it no more, he at last lowered his pride.

"Please, Zen."

With those two simple words, Kirishima relented, he loosened his hand at the base of his shaft and once again added its motion to that of his mouth. Within three more rapid strokes Yokozawa's cock erupted, and Kirishima held him, taking in each milky spurt. His hand continued to lightly pump until the last drop was expelled. Once he was sure Yokozawa was spent, he slipped off.

Weak-kneed from the power of his release, Yokozawa slid down the wall with a sated sigh. His long legs folded, until he at last sat on the floor of the shower in front of his still-kneeling lover. He watched from under heavy-lidded eyes as Kirishima leaned over and spit his seed into the drain.

At this action, Yokozawa grumbled, "What? You don't love me, Zen?"

Kirishima turned and looked at him, an expression of shock evident when he saw the normally stern face sporting a wry half-smile.

"Are you actually _teasing_ me?" Kirishima asked incredulously, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Mmmm," Yokozawa acknowledged. "Consider it a moment of post-orgasmic weakness."

"God, you're cute," Kirishima grinned and slipped closer between splayed legs to kiss him again.

Yokozawa scowled. "I'm not cute, I'm terrifying." He pushed back his shower-wild, black hair with one hand and held Kirishima off him with the other. "And I don't particularly relish tasting myself."

Kirishima laughed at both these statements. Then he covered Yokozawa's hand on his chest with both of his own.

"What? You don't love me, Takafumi?" Kirishima threw his lover's words back at him.

Yokozawa's already furrowed brow ticked at this, but he allowed his arm to bend slowly as Kirishima continued to lean forward. Seconds later his mouth was claimed once more with a lingering kiss.

Kirishima pulled back after this, his face beaming as he stared into uncomfortable gray eyes.

"I thought so."

Beneath the falling water Kirishima beamed.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am terrible with these serial lemons. One more chapter of citrus and then back to the story. Thank you for reading. Comments and kudos are treasured!


	5. Entrance

* * *

The warmth of the cascading water and his recent release left Yokozawa sleepy. He sighed and closed his eyes, allowing the feel and the sound of the spray to entrance him and found himself quickly lulled.

His grey eyes shot back open, however, when Kirishima gently tweaked one of his nipples.

"Hey!" Yokozawa smacked the offending hand away.

Though he would never admit it, his refractory period always left him intensely sensitive for a time, and it wasn't just his cock either. Because of this, right after coming, certain touch was almost painful. He had learned the best way to cope with this was to just be still and drift for a while. Kirishima, however, perceptive as he was, quickly learned this, despite his attempts to hide it.

"Don't fall asleep on me, Takafumi," Kirishima prodded, earning a low growl from his shower-mate. "We're not finished here yet."

"Yeah, yeah." Yokozawa, unconsciously covered his still-tingling nub with his hand. His brow rose when Kirishima reached over into the shower basket and withdrew a bottle of shampoo.

"Here, wash my hair for me," Kirishima urged, knowing that this would not only keep Yokozawa awake, but that it would also prevent himself from advancing before his lover had fully recovered.

Yokozawa took the shampoo and looked out from under his sodden black bangs curiously. "You're serious?"

"Ummmmm." Kirishima nodded and turned around between Yokozawa's thighs so his back was accessible. Yokozawa offered a light snort at this, but he opened the cap and squeezed a small amount into his hand.

Moments later his long fingers were massaging Kirishima's lathered scalp.

Beneath his touch Kirishima was groaning. While Kirishima seemed to have sussed his body out within their first few joinings, Yokozawa was still discovering all the points of his lover's pleasure. It was quickly becoming obvious to him, however, that Kirishima's head was as incredibly sensitive as his own. Maybe even more so, if the sounds being offered were any indication.

He filed this information away for later use in their erotic skirmishes.

"You have no idea how jealous I get, seeing you do Hiyo's hair every morning." Kirishima punctuated his confession with a content sigh.

"Really?" The thought of Kirishima being jealous of Hiyori, both pleased and amused Yokozawa though he didn't show it.

Kirishima hummed his assent again, too enraptured for words. After a few moments of silence he added. "In fact, I have been purposely thinking about growing my hair out long enough so you'd have put it in a ponytail for me on a daily basis." He pushed back into Yokozawa's magic touch.

Yokozawa frowned. "That would look ridiculous!"

"Maybe so..." Kirishima chuckled, "But it would be worth it to have you running your fingers through my hair every day."

Behind him, Yokozawa shook his head. It never ceased to amaze him how straightforward Kirishima was: he would have never told anyone what he liked in such a plain manner.

_Not that it really matters, I suppose... Zen always seems to somehow know anyway._

"You say that now, but I think in just a short time you'd find yourself longing to have me out of your hair." Despite his stern expression, Yokozawa was having difficulty refraining from pulling his lover's thick, soapy locks into a semblance of cat ears.

Kirishima started at these words; he leaned back against Yokozawa's chest and turned his head so he could look at him directly.

"What?" Yokozawa growled irritably at his lover's wondering expression.

Kirishima's eyes slipped into something more sly almost immediately. "Was that another joke, Takafumi? I guess I am just going to have to start fucking you in the shower on a regular basis, if this is the effect it has."

"Technically you haven't 'fucked' me in the shower." Yokozawa pushed Kirishima up off him with soapy hands.

"Ah, well then we better remedy that, hadn't we."

Kirishima's tone sent a shiver down Yokozawa's spine.

Using the momentum of the shove to move forward, Kirishima stood up. As always, Yokozawa marveled at the man's easy grace.

He blinked through the water looking up at his lover's flawless skin, glowing slick under the shower. Kirishima's lean muscular lines, the tight, flat stretch of his belly, the upward curve of his cock, struck Yokozawa as particularly beautiful in this moment. His breath caught as he watched Kirishima's head dip back as he stepped under the spray to rinse his water-dark hair.

Kirishima's raised jaw accentuated his strong neck. It made his Adam's apple proudly pronounced, begging to be bitten.Yokozawa dropped his eyes, only too aware that despite how recently he'd just come; he could feel the blood already beginning to gather in his groin again. He looked up a moment later to see Kirishima standing before him, hand extended.

Kirishima growled playfully, "Up, you big bear!"

"You and your damn nicknames… so childish. Tsk!" Yokozawa hauled himself up, pointedly ignoring the proffered hand.

_Though I'd rather be called "Bear" any day over "Mama,"_ he thought, considering Kirishima's other favorite appellation for him.

Before Yokozawa even had a chance to get his feet fully under him, Kirishima was on him, maneuvering him up against a tiled wall again but this time facing it. Yokozawa felt his wrists captured by a strong grip. His hands pressed flat against the wall. He could feel Kirishima's weight against him and knew his chest would be grazing the tile soon if he didn't do something.

In response to this, he dropped his head and locked his lean arms. He pressed back, feeling the glory of wet skin against his own. As Kirishima's slick dick scored the crack of his ass, he felt the brush of his lover's sac on his own electrified flesh.

Despite his resistance, Yokozawa was stirred anew.

_I haven't recovered so quickly since I was a teenager._ His cock jumped when Kirishima hung his dripping head over his shoulder and the grip on his wrists increased ever so slightly.

"Come on, Taka-chan, be a good bear and growl for me." Kirishima turned his head and gently took an earlobe between his teeth. He gave it a light tug. Yokozawa turned his head away, pulling his lobe from between Kirishima's teeth despite the pinch this caused. He knew what was wanted, but he wasn't ready to relent...

_Yet._

"You want a growl? Fuck off! How's that?"

"Mmmm, that's a good start," Kirishima purred, undaunted by the snarl. "You're only slightly off."

One hand left Yokozawa's wrist and wetly feathered down his glistening side. Yokozawa closed his eyes. _Am I abnormal in some way? His barest touch stirs me so strongly._

This kind of intense attention was what he had always previously hoped for but never experienced before meeting Kirishima. Even Takano had never affected him in quite this manner. Yokozawa gave a soft grunt as Kirishima's hand slid lower and began kneading one of his ass cheeks.

"Shall we try another growling lesson, Takafumi?"

Behind him, Kirishima smiled brightly feeling his lover tense and bristle. This was part of the game, the tease and playful domination he employed to break down Yokozawa's pride and his resistance. Though it was sometimes time consuming, Kirishima consider the effort well worth it. He enjoyed it but also understood it was necessary too: to move Yokozawa to a place where he could accept the love he was being offered.

Kirishima now knew Takano had wounded Yokozawa deeply, whether he'd intended to or not was of little concern. From what he'd seen of Marukawa's "Black Bear" outside the office, the tender heart and fierce loyalty, helping Yokozawa in his healing, making him conscious of his value, had become one of his greatest desires.

Of course it didn't hurt that he found his stern salesman adorable too.

Kirishima reached over to the shelf in the shower wall to the side of him and plucked up a small bottle. He popped the top and applied a liberal amount to his cock, bracing his erect member against Yokozawa's firm ass as he anointed himself.

"What's that?" Yokozawa's whisper was harsh. He was fighting his desire hard now.

"Oil base," Kirishima offered. "Don't want it washing away too quickly."

"You'll put that away... after... Right? I don't want Hiyori to find something like that lying around. She'll ask questions."

"Yes, Mama-san…" Kirishima dropped his head down and placed a hard sucking kiss on Yokozawa's shoulder.

"You worry too much, Takafumi." He placed another fierce kiss on the base of Yokozawa's neck. "How about you relax? I'll help you feel so good."

Yokozawa knew Kirishima's mouth was leaving marks that would linger, but he didn't care. He was so inflamed with his need he didn't even snap at him calling him "Mama."

A greased finger traced the crack of his ass, dipping down between firm cheeks. It traced down to the base of Yokozawa's balls and then slid back up, and began tenderly teasing his puckered entrance.

_"_ How the hell is this supposed to relax me? _..."_

A sharp breath left Yokozawa and all he could focus on now was Kirishima's slippery digit sensually provoking him. He dipped his head slightly and hissed as Kirishima slid his finger slowly in. It wasn't that it hurt: Kirishima was exceedingly gentle. The sound came from the fact that even after all these months, despite the fact of his previous encounters with Takano as well, he still found himself struggling with the concept of being entered in such a way.

He had spent so many years keeping people out, building his defenses, that allowing anyone in, in any way was still difficult and this form of entrance was so…

_Intimate..._

Yokozawa felt his chest hitch as Kirishima probed him. As his breath built,  the probing finger beginning to slide in and out, he was glad for the cover of the falling water. Kirishima's long digit found the nub of his pleasure and began to gently massage it.

When the finger pulled out before he was ready for it to leave him, in truth, Yokozawa did want to growl fiercely. Instead, however, he remained silent in his longing. At least, until Kirishima's hand returned this time entering him with two. At the same time, Kirishima's other hand left his wrist and slipped down to embrace his tight chest. With this touch, embraced inside and out, Yokozawa exhaled a ragged breath a shadow away from a sob.

Kirishima nuzzled the base of his neck.

"So do you still want me to 'fuck off,' Taka-chan?"

Yokozawa emitted a growling gasp under the skilled manipulations of Kirishima's fingers.

"Tell me or I'll stop."

"No!" Yokozawa barked before he could catch himself. He could feel himself flush, even beneath the heat of the shower. Behind him Kirishima chuckled.

"'No', you won't tell me? Or 'no' you don't want me to fuck off?"

Yokozawa wanted to resist answering, but then the fingers stilled inside him.

"Tell me, Takafumi," Kirishima sweetly urged.

When he still didn't answer, Kirishima slipped his fingers out of him. He stepped slightly to the side and tapped Yokozawa's flank with his stiff cock.

"Takafumi..."

Hearing all the emotion Kirishima imparted to that single word, Yokozawa's resistance finally crumbled.

"No," he rasped, "I don't want you to fuck off." He lowered his head and gritted his teeth. "I want you to fuck… me," he snarled through his clenched jaw.

"Now that's the growl I wanted to hear, my good Bear," Kirishima grrr'ed back. The previous lightness of his voice had suddenly grown heavy with the weight of his lust.

Yokozawa all but sighed with relief as Kirishima shifted back. A strong hand gripped his shoulder and the crown of Kirishima's cock almost immediately nudged against his anxious hole. He allowed himself to slowly collapse against the shower wall as Kirishima pressed into him.

Behind him, Kirishima fought to control himself. More than anything he wanted to thrust into the man beneath him, claiming him once again, letting Yokozawa know that he belonged to him and no one else. Still, Kirishima knew he also needed to be gentle: that Yokozawa was allowing him in was no small thing. He knew that there were still moments in their coupling that his lover's mind would drift to his old unrequited and he hoped that he might someday drive out any such lingering thoughts so that he would be the only one truly occupying Yokozawa's heart.

Kirishima was conscious also, even in the heat of his desire, that he didn't want to do anything that might cause Yokozawa to withdraw from him. So he bit back his own urges and eased in incrementally, coaxing Yokozawa to accept him.

Both men exhaled when he was finally in.

Yokozawa felt a soothing hand pulled through his hair and had to admit, Kirishima was right, it did feel good.

_Despite the burn, it always feels good now... So good..._

Kirishima continued his gentle petting as they stood waiting for Yokozawa to adjust.

"Are you ready, Takafumi?"

Though he would never say it, this was one of the things Yokozawa cherished about his lover: once they were joined like this, Kirishima dropped all teasing and the silly nicknames. He called him only by his first name and dealt with him with complete earnestness.

Moved by this and by the still-overpowering sensation of being entered, possessed, filled, Yokozawa could only bring himself to nod.

As always the tight heat of his lover stunned Kirishima. "Thank you for letting me in, Takafumi."

Kirishima's arms slipped around under Yokozawa's, his hands gripped his shoulders as he began to slowly, at first, slide in and out.

"Are you wet enough?"

Yokozawa felt his cheeks heat at the question. Kirishima took his hesitation as the answer. Before Yokozawa said anything, he felt a hand leave him and Kirishima pull out of him some, though not entirely, as the small bottle was taken up again and new oil applied.

After this, once Kirishima pushed back in, there was only the sounds of the running water, frictioning flesh, and their building breath as Kirishima began to pulse against him. Yokozawa's eyes were closed as he focused only on the powerful sensations searing through his body as Kirishima fucked him. His forehead was resting against the wall now. His chest pressed against the tile as well.

He felt a current of electricity shoot through him when one of his erect nipples, resting in a grouted groove, brushed the rough edge of a tile when his body shifted beneath Kirishima's quickening thrusts.

Yokozawa's cock, which had dropped slightly at the intrusion, was now reviving. It jumped as a hand left his shoulder and grazed along the tender skin of his low belly. As Kirishima' hand drifted lower to stroke the skin of his inner thighs and feather against the base of his cock, Yokozawa groaned loudly and moved a wrist beneath his mouth to stifle the noise.

It seemed that with every pulse, Kirishima was filling him more fully, each time brushing that internal place of pleasure. Though he didn't come externally, Yokozawa suddenly felt wave after wave of bliss roll through his low belly. He shuddered under the broader body covering his. His mouth released his wrist.

"Oh fuck, Zen!"

Hearing this exclamation, driven by the sounds of ecstasy in his lover's voice, Kirishima could no longer hold back. He plunged himself in with such force it drove Yokozawa on to the tips of his toes to follow the motion of his taller thrusts. Kirishima rested his forehead on one of Yokozawa's broad shoulders as he pounded into him.

Soon Yokozawa's calves were burning from holding this position, but he didn't want the full and the feel of Kirishima's pulsing to end. He gasped in warning as he felt his internal damn begin to breach and knew the flood was coming.

Kirishima rasped in his ear, "So close." 

Yokozawa felt the strong arms that had somehow entwined themselves around his chest loosen as Kirishima prepared to withdraw.

"I'm going to come on your ass. Okay?"

Yokozawa could hear the pre-release grimace in the voice of the man behind him. He shocked both of them by pushing back slightly so that he could move his arms. He wrapped these over Kirishima's to bind the man to him.

"No, Zen… come inside me," he choked in a hoarse whisper. The sound of desperate want, the tone of invitation, the utterance of his name: hearing this was too much for Kirishima. It was what he'd been waiting for these many months.

"Ahh, Takafumi!" He cried out as his cock erupted adding new warmth to the heat that already engulfed him.

Yokozawa felt Kirishima's seed fill him. He tipped his head back and found tender lips brushing the edge of his jaw. He uttered a soft grunt as his own cock spasmed. Pearled jets arced up, stringing trails over the tiles. One of Kirishima's hands slipped down and wrapped around his twitching member, urging it on until every last drop had been spent.

Leaning heavily against the wall as Kirishima continued to embrace him, Yokozawa was so aware of the other man's body: Kirishima's head over his shoulder, the sides of their faces touching; one hand over his heart, the other still around his cock. Kirishima's own cock dwindling but still inside.

He had never felt so connected, or so truly embraced.

Behind him, with Yokozawa sharing his body as he had, allowing himself to be enveloped as he was, Kirishima was experiencing a similar feeling.

After standing like this for several minutes, Kirishima withdrew and stepped back slightly. He sunk back down to the shower floor drawing Yokozawa with him. Sitting between Kirishima's thighs, after a few moments Yokozawa started to rise. Kirishima carefully restrained him. "Rest with me here for a few more minutes."

"We should get cleaned up. We're just wasting water now," Yokozawa grumbled. He could feel Kirishima smile behind him at this complaint.

"What if I let you pay the water bill this month?"

Yokozawa considered this. It still wasn't what he felt was his full share, but it was a start and it showed that Kirishima was letting him in, in his own way.

"Deal." Yokozawa forced himself to sound reluctant as he settled back into the comforting expanse of Kirishima's broad chest.

* * *

Sometime later, they emerged from the bath, each in his nightwear and both incredibly clean, if slightly pruney.

Yokozawa immediately went to Hiyori's door and cracked it open.

He was greeted with the glittering eyes of Sorata who was curled up on the bed next to her. The cat scowled at his master's intrusion. He offered Yokozawa a slightly miffed sniff: as if annoyed his owner didn't trust him enough with his self-appointed task as Hiyori's night guardian.

Seeing that Hiyori was still sleeping soundly, Yokozawa breathed a sigh of relief. After closing the door softly he started when he backed up, finding Kirishima standing directly behind him.

"What the hell are you doing there?" 

Kirishima said nothing in response to his lover's barked whisper, he just pressed closer with a sly grin on his face. Yokozawa pushed back and stepped away scowling.

"I would have thought you'd just had enough of that."

Kirishima's eyes danced. "I could never get enough of 'that,' Taka-chan." He smiled wickedly. Then his face became just a bit more serious.

"I'm here to walk you to your door, since you refuse to sleep with me. After all, what kind of gentleman would I be to just abandon you after such a lovely date?"

Yokozawa snorted at this as he moved down the short hallway towards his room.

"My door is literally less than five feet away from yours."

Regardless of his words Kirishima shadowed him to his door. Yokozawa turned at the entrance to his bedroom, arms crossed. When Kirishima continued to stand before him he pulled out one of his fiercer frowns.

"You're being ridiculous!"

He was stunned when Kirishima, in response to his admonishment, just leaned in and kissed him tenderly. A gentle hand reached up and brushed his cheek.

"Goodnight, Takafumi," Kirishima whispered. "I love you." Rich brown eyes glowed warmly. Then he turned and moved quietly into his own room.

As soon as Kirishima's door closed, Yokozawa slipped into his room and closed his own door behind him. Leaning against this, in the dim light he cast his eye on his empty futon and sighed.

He rubbed his hand over his lips where the lingering sensation of Kirishima's kiss still burned and felt himself almost start to smile. Then suddenly, unexpectedly, Yokozawa felt his knees buckle at the realization of how deeply in love with Kirishima he actually was.

A solemn expression overtook his features. _At least I stopped that smile._

Yokozawa took no comfort in his mind's lame attempt at humor. Not when his heart was at stake. He slid his back down the door until his ass collided with the floor, eliciting a slight wince. Burying his face in his hands, his long fingers ran through his still damp bangs.

_This is bad._

Yokozawa's chest that had been so recently full suddenly felt empty and aching. As one intimately acquainted with accounts, too vividly he remembered how much it had cost him the last time he'd allowed himself to fall so in love.

"Fuck," Yokozawa whispered behind the shield of his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, as always, for reading!


	6. Reprieves

* * *

Yokozawa looked up from his desk at the clock. He frowned as he noted the time and then turned his eyes back down to the spreadsheets before him.

He was more than caught up with his work at this point. In fact, he would be ahead until mid-week now with all he had gotten done. Rather than rejoice at this, however, his efficiency was cause for consternation because now he absolutely no excuse not to take Hiyori shopping that afternoon.

"Yokozawa!"

Gray eyes shot up and Yokozawa saw Takano standing in the door of his office. A dark head nodded and a pack of smokes was waved by an editorial hand.

"Come on, I know you've been at it for hours!" Takano called when his friend hesitated, his voice carried its usual good-natured snarl.

Yokozawa's face remained impassive, but inside his chest his heart was beating wildly. Despite the heartache Takano had brought him, he had missed his best friend. Even though they each had new partners now (not that Takano knew about him and Kirishima yet), they had known each other for a long time and Yokozawa wanted things between the two of them to get better again.

Since their confrontation about Onodera, outside of yelling at each other in meetings, it had just been within the last two weeks that he and Takano had resumed communication with each other. Their recently renewed contacts had been brief and casual, but there was still an underlying tension. This was why it pained Yokozawa to shake his head instead of rising from his desk.

"I'm trying to quit."

Hearing this, the face in the doorway frowned. "Eh? When the hell did that start?" Takano sounded as annoyed as he did curious.

"Not that it's any of your business, Masamune, but I have been cutting down for over a month! I am down to three a day and I don't feel like wasting my remaining ones right now."

Takano studied Yokozawa intensely for a moment as if old his friend was a riddle he was trying to decipher and then he shrugged.

"Suit yourself." He turned and headed off out the door.

Watching him leave, Yokozawa still felt his heart clench. He dropped his eyes down to his figures and once again saw the stats for Emerald. Reviewing these, he felt the ache in his chest quickly replaced by a burning irritation.

_Takano was right in his projections for the last issue… again… and after I so vigorously opposed the extra printing._

"Great, just one more reason to be an arrogant ass," Yokozawa muttered under his breath.

"What was that Yokozawa-san?" Henmi had just returned with an armload of folders.

"Ah… Nothing."

Yokozawa felt bad Henmi had been compelled to come in on the weekend to work with him, as the files they were currently dealing with were for a project that didn't need to be done for a month yet.

"You know, Henmi, you can go home if you like."

"Ah, Yokozawa-san, to be honest, my mother in-law is visiting. And when she and my wife get together…" The clerk looked a bit sheepish. "Let's just say I don't mind putting in a little bit of extra time away from home right now. Eh?"

Yokozawa nodded in understanding. He glanced up at the clock again nervously.

_Speaking of troublesome people… Kirishima should be arriving with Hiyori any minute._

He really didn't want anyone at Marukawa seeing him with them. It was enough that people had begun to notice that he and Kirishima had become "close" of late. Yokozawa suddenly wondered if he wouldn't be better off waiting for the Kirishimas outside. Considering this he began to straighten his desk in preparation for leaving.

No sooner had he finished this thought, however, than he heard Hiyori's giggle followed by a hearty, "Yokozawa!"

He and Henmi looked up simultaneously to see the two Kirishimas standing in the doorway.

Yokozawa grimaced.

"So loud," he grumbled as he watched the pair approach. He kept his expression moderately annoyed, but in truth he felt a lump in his throat at how brightly both Zen and Hiyori were smiling at him, Hyori in particular. Abandoning any pretense at straightening, Yokozawa grabbed a handful of papers and shoved them into his work case along with his laptop.

"I'll see you Monday if you don't come in tomorrow, Henmi."

"Onii-chan!" Hiyori exclaimed breathlessly stepping up to the desk, her dark eyes were dancing. "Are you excited?"

"Mmmmmm..." Yokozawa avoided Henmi's wondering stare and uncomfortably fidgeted with the clasps on his bag.

Kirishima's keen eyes picked up on Yokozawa's unease. He knew it was partly because Henmi was there. But there was more to it than this. Since the previous night in the shower, Yokozawa had been decidedly distant.

Though he knew his lover was a man of moods, Kirishima had been worried by this sudden shift and their schedules that morning had not allowed them time to talk. Despite his concern, he had allowed Yokozawa to withdraw and not pressed, sensing the man was at a critical juncture internally. He understood that if he pushed too hard, his stern but sensitive lover might retreat from him completely.

It was for this reason that now, rather than tease, he offered Yokozawa a smile.

"Thank you so much for taking Hiyori today so she didn't have to be on her own, Yokozawa. I know that it's rather an imposition on our friendship, but I really appreciate it."

Both Hiyori and Yokozawa looked at Kirishima with an expression of perplexity since the two men had been splitting Saturdays for weeks now.

Yokozawa, had been working in the morning and Kirishima in the afternoon, so that Hiyori had at least one adult around all day for the weekends. They had come upon this arrangement after Yokozawa had expressed a concern with how much time the girl spent on her own during the week already.

"But, Papa…" Hiyori started. Then her eyes caught sight of Henmi who was standing nearby with undisguised look of intense interest on his spectacled face. Seeing this, she fell silent.

Yokozawa too suddenly understood and the wave of warmth that swelled in his chest at Kirishima's tact irked him. Ever since the realization of his love after their last "coming together" he had been looking for a reason to leave and it bothered him that Kirishima somehow seemed to know this and was doing his damnedest not to offer him any excuses to do so.

"Come on, Hiyo-chan," Kirishima extended his hand to his daughter. "Let's go out in the hall and wait for Yokozawa to finish up here. He's a busy man, you know."

Not wanting to address any of the questions he was reading on Henmi's face, Yokozawa stepped away from his desk and immediately followed.

"I'm ready now." He growled striding purposefully after them.

Out in the hall, Kirishima turned to Yokozawa and extended his free hand.

"Here, give me your bag. You don't need to be carting that around with you all afternoon. I'll bring it home with me later."

Yokozawa frowned, but he released it into Kirishima's grasp. Something about this struck him as oddly intimate but Kirishima turned to Hiyori before he could complain.

"Do you have your money, Hiyo?"

"Yes, Papa," Hiyori released her father's hand and pulled out an envelope from the cat-faced purse she had slung over her slender shoulder.

"Okay, good and I'll see you _both_ when we all get home." Kirishima eyed Yokozawa meaningfully as he said this. Then his face slipped back into a smile.

Seeing the glow on Kirishima's face, Yokozawa suddenly wondered who was happier he was taking Hiyori shopping, the little girl or her father. He felt a slight flush climb into his cheeks when Kirishima nodded at him before turning to head off to his office. Yokozawa and Hiyori watched him move down the hall.

_Grinning idiot._

It was almost as if the man could read his mind, as Kirishima gave them both one last larger grin and a wave. "Don't have too much fun without me!" he called down the quiet corridor before disappearing into the elevator.

Once Kirishima was no longer in sight Yokozawa looked down at Hiyori.

"Ready, Onii-chan?" Hiyori giggled and bounced up and down on her toes with excitement.

Yokozawa exhaled a long breath thinking about the hours ahead of him,"As I'll ever be."

As they were exiting the building, Yokozawa glanced over to the smoking area and winced: not only was Takano still standing there casually puffing away, but the Emerald editor had obviously seen him.

Yokozawa scowled as Takano looked after him with his brow raised in unspoken question; his amber eyes glinted. Yokozawa had seen a similar expression on Sorata before, when he'd caught the cat contemplating some sort of complex feline equation. He ignored Takano and instead looked down at Hiyori.

"Onii-chan, do you want to smoke? I don't mind waiting here if you want to."

_Hiyori is developing her father's perception._ Yokozawa frowned at this. He glanced back uneasily for the merest of moments.

"No, I have more important things to do right now." Yokozawa didn't smile, but the look he gave Hiyori was significant and he found to his surprise he meant what he said. Gazing back down at the young girl beside him, any lingering sense of conflict he felt instantly evaporated in the warmth of Hiyori's eyes.

* * *

Unfortunately the contentment Yokozawa had felt leaving Marukawa was fleeting and he soon found himself experiencing a mounting sense of trepidation as they neared the mall.

Even before this, however, the train ride to the shopping center had already left him feeling harried. The cars had been filled with Saturday shoppers and weekend workers and he had been forced to stand his ground quite firmly to make sure the press of people didn't crush Hiyori.

To make matters worse, Hiyori had been quite aware of what her Onii-chan was doing. She had spent the whole ride gazing up at him and smiling appreciatively. Though he'd tried to find other things in the car to occupy his attention, Yokozawa hadn't been able to help help but glance back at Hiyori periodically. Her open admiration had made him uncomfortable.

Yokozawa had long felt that he was a poor judge of beauty, he'd fallen for Takano after all. Nonetheless, every time he'd looked at Hiyori during their train ride, there was no doubt in his mind that the little figure before him was lovely.

He had glimpsed a picture of Hiyori's mother once. He'd found it one day looking for something to read, while he was hanging about the Kirishima apartment. He had pulled a book from one of the many bookshelves and the photo fell out from where it had been wedged between two novels. He had cautiously read the script on the back, curious, but all the while not wanting to be intrusive.

The woman was very pretty. Her smile fit her face seamlessly, just like her husband's did. Considering this, Yokozawa had wondered, once again, what in the world it was that Kirishima saw in him?

Despite seeing this picture though, still whenever he looked at Hiyori, like today on the train, try as he might, Yokozawa never really saw the girl's mother. He saw Kirishima, as Hiyori had not only her father's coloring, but his nose, his smile, his eyes.

Yokozawa had realized on the train he loved seeing Kirishima in the child before him, but more than that, he loved Hiyori herself, with her sweet and easy manner. Her laugh made even his most hellish days seem somehow lighter. Having entered the Kirishima's lives as he had, he was now in a terrible bind: if he left, he would not just be leaving the father, but the daughter also and this realization weighed on him heavily.

_Such troubling epiphanies_.

For the moment, however, he set this off to the side as the mall's gleaming castle of consumerism now loomed over him. He had other more pressing worries to consider.

The first was navigating the rest of this day with Hiyori. The second was to find an adequate birthday present to give her himself.

As they walked up to the center's entry, Yokozawa noted the mall's exterior smoking area. He noted the number of men standing around silently smoking; their faces reflecting apprehension or boredom as their wives and girlfriends shopped inside.

Yokozawa had to admit he felt a slight pang of jealousy. He'd never been much of a shopper. There were few material things that tempted him outside of books and, though he always felt silly buying them, toys for Sorata. Now he occasionally bought sweets for Hiyori too, but other than that...

Kirishima was the same way with the exception of Hiyori. Yet thankfully, though while he loved to make his little girl happy, he was not inclined to spoil her (too much). Yokozawa respected this immensely.

Now that Hiyori was older, however, rather than buy her things, Kirishima would more often give her spending money and she would go shopping with Yuki and her mother.

_Yuki's mother is a shopping machine._ This thought made Yokozawa shudder.

He growled the minute they entered the mall and his senses were assaulted by a cacophony of consumer goods.

"Tell me again, why I'm here?" Yokozawa felt his normal frown deepen. Going to a place like this to check on sales or promote a new product was one thing. Being here as he was now, was something else entirely.

"We're here to buy something pretty, Onii-chan," Hiyori giggled. "Like that." She pointed to a shop widow filled with all the glory of young girls' garments.

Yokozawa's eyes widened and he felt his heart begin to beat faster as his vision was filled with pastels, polka-dots, glitter, and bows.

_You bastard, Zen, leaving me on my own like this._

"Right..." Looking into Hiyori's sparkly eyes, he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

_I am so screwed._

Just then he heard the rumble of a small stomach. He looked over at Hiyori who was blushing profusely.

"Didn't your father feed you before you left the house?" Then, considering Kirishima, Yokozawa revised his question. "I mean, didn't you feed your father and yourself?"

Hiyori's blush deepened. "I'm sorry, Onii-san. I was too excited to eat."

Yokozawa was slightly touched that their day together meant so much to Hiyori, but he didn't show it. Instead he shook his head and pulled out his phone.

"You two..." he quickly typed in a text.

_"Z. Don't forget to eat something. But stay away from the vending machines. I left a lunch in the fridge in 1st floor the staff lounge Friday I didn't get to eat. - Y."_

Then his forehead furrowed.

_God, I really do sound like a "Mama."_ He paused a moment and added the word "Idiot" after "something." Feeling somewhat mollified by this, he closed his phone and looked at Hiyori.

"Food first, shopping second." His voice let Hiyori know there was no room for negotiation.

"Okay, Onii-san," Hiyori chirped agreeably. She was not at all dismayed by his growl and began walking with him in the direction of the food court.

Yokozawa exhaled a breath of relief as they moved past the dress filled store: he'd just gotten a half-hour reprieve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	7. Choices

Yokozawa navigated ordering lunch with Hiyori amicably, though he fussed a bit over her food choices. He'd gotten so used to the home cooking he and Hiyori had been doing that all the fast food in the court looked anemic.

He scowled about this until Hiyori teasingly reminded him that their trip was for _her_ _birthday_ , so some celebration was in order. She placated her Onii-chan somewhat, however, by later picking a dish of fresh fruit for dessert instead of some other sweet.

While they were eating, Yokozawa remained generally silent while he picked at his noodles. This was not too uncommon, since Hiyori had more than enough to say for both of them. Given this, their conversations generally seemed to work out fine. When he did speak, it was to most often ask some sort of question which was mainly intended to get Hiyori talking again. For instance, when Hiyo began telling him about another classmate whose cat had just had kittens, he asked _"What color?"_ and was then entertained with ten minutes of vivid description, right down to the freckles on the pads of their pink paws.

Secretly, he liked listening to Hiyori talk. To him the sound of her voice was like the chirping of the first spring bird after a long hard winter. His own life had been filled with so much silence he welcomed her chatter.

Once the meal was over, they threw away their trash and began walking through the mall. As they progressed along the walkway, Hiyori's vocalizations now, however, instead of soothing, were making him increasingly nervous.

"Yuki's mom brought us here last week after school. She had the day off. Remember, Onii-chan?"

"Ummm…" Yokozawa vaguely remembered being irritated that the woman had brought Hiyori home late and hopped up on sugar.

"We spent all afternoon trying on clothes. There was one store that had really good things." Hiyori smiled. Then her sweet face became quite serious.

At the first part of Hiyori's statement Yokozawa's brow rose with apprehension. "All afternoon?"

"Uh huh! It was so much fun! I think we should go there first," Hiyori advised sagely.

"Having been there before and seeing what they had, you must know what you want then. Right, Hiyori?".

Hiyori giggled at the question."Oh, Onii-chan, you're so funny!"

Yokozawa followed her closely through the crowds of shoppers, all the while trying to decipher the meaning of this last declaration.

_Why in the hell would she think I was being humorous, when I was being earnest?_

He was so lost in his thoughts he almost ran into Hiyori, when she finally stopped. She turned and looked brightly up at him.

"We're here, Onii-chan."

Yokozawa looked up and glanced at the shops overhead sign; it read "Girl Power." He felt a weak chill trickle down his spine, frowned, and shifted uncomfortably. His disquiet grew when he looked inside and saw not only an overwhelming selection of girly garments, but also a number of mothers and daughters intently shuffling through the racks.

"Er… You know, Hiyori-chan, I could just wait out here while you look." Yokozawa glanced across the walk and saw a bookstore. "Over there, in fact. You could come and get me when you're done."

Hiyori cocked her head at him, then she sighed "You sound like, Papa." Her young face flashed with disappointment for the merest of moments. Then she brought out a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Okay, Onii-chan. I'll come get you when I'm done."

Yokozawa's frown deepened at this.

 _Coward,_ he thought to himself. _You terrorize your whole department, but you're going to allow yourself to be scared off by a bunch of middle-class mothers?_

"Hiyori-chan, wait!" He forced half his mouth into a slight smirk. "I was just kidding of course."

"Really?" Hiyori studied him intently.

"Ummmm…" Yokozawa nodded, sticking his hands into his pocket and desperately wishing for a cigarette. He fortified himself instead with Hiyori's new and complete smile and began moving into the store.

No sooner had they entered than a saleswoman stepped up to them. She offered a slight bow.

"Welcome to _Girl Power_ , can I help you?" She asked Yokozawa; her sweet smiling flickering only slightly in the wake of his stern countenance.

"Do I look like I need help?" Yokozawa's voice was just loud enough that several of the women shopping stopped and looked at him. More than one sniffed in disapproval.

The young woman wisely remained silent, though her eyes now glinted with amusement rather than fear.

Seeing this, Yokozawa immediately knew he was on her territory, not his. He felt his cheeks heat up at this realization. He fought his desire to grimace and instead answered as politely as he could.

"Perhaps you could help her?" he set one of his large hand's on Hiyori's shoulder.

"Ah certainly," the young woman smiled anew and leaned over slightly to be more level with Hiyori. "And how can I assist you today, Miss?"

"I'm looking for a new outfit for my school festival."

"Something in a skirt or a dress, perhaps?" The sales woman asked.

"Yes, please," Hiyori answered politely then she added, "I was here last week with my friend and her mama and we tried on some things that I liked."

"Ah, well let's go see if maybe we can find those things again. Shall we?" The clerk moved with Hiyori back into the racks and Yokozawa reluctantly followed. "We got some new things in too, yesterday."

As they worked their way deeper into the racks, Yokozawa felt himself growing increasingly claustrophobic. All the colors and patterns surrounding him were rather overwhelming. He realized with a bit of a start that he might actually be feeling a little faint.

"Sir?" the sales clerk had looked up and noticed his increasingly pale pallor. "We have some chairs over there by the dressing room if you'd like to sit down."

These words brought a fresh frown to Yokozawa's strained face.

 _Am I so obvious?_ Clearing his throat, he managed to reply without sounding too distressed.

"No I'm fine." _I just need something else to focus on._

Fortunately, Hiyori obliged him in this.

"What do you think about this, Onii-chan?" She held up a pink dress for his approval. "Or do you like this one better?" pulling a pale green dress out of the rack.

Yokozawa's brow furrowed. "Uh… they're both… fine?"

Hiyori gave him her patented eye roll. "Which do you think is prettier though?"

"I think maybe you should try them both on," the sales clerk offered. "Then you can show your big brother and he can see which one looks nicer on you."

Yokozawa tensed at the woman's naming of him and waited to see how Hiyori would respond, but she said nothing. Even so, he didn't relax; he imagined the clerk thought she was doing him a favor with this suggestion, but in truth she was really just prolonging his torture.

He followed the two females to the back of the store where the dressing rooms were.

Watching several mothers pass through the dressing room entrance, their arms full of clothes for their daughters to try on, Yokozawa balked. He looked down at the empty chairs the clerk had mentioned earlier.

"I'll just wait here then, shall I?"

Hiyori paused for just the barest of moments before she nodded. "I think that would be best Onii-chan. I can come out and show the dress to you once I have it on and you can help me make my choice then."

"I'll come back and help you if you like," the sales clerk smiled. This notion seemed to please Hiyori and she nodded. The two headed back into the dressing rooms.

Yokozawa breathed a deep sigh of relief once Hiyori was out of sight. He ran one of his large hands through his shaggy hair.

"God damn it," he muttered. Now he really wanted a cigarette.

Just then his phone vibrated; he pulled it from his pocket and seeing it was Kirishima he answered it.

"What?"

"Hey, I just called because I wanted to see how you were faring."

Yokozawa could hear the smile in Kirishima's voice. "You're an ass…

"And a coward," he added for good measure.

On the other end of the line Kirishima laughed heartily. "That good, eh? And if it makes you feel any better I won't deny your designations."

Yokozawa hummed as though he was considering how to answer.

Then Kirishima spoke again and this time his voice was serious. "I really do appreciate what you're doing Takafumi. It means so much to Hiyo. She talked about it all the way from the house to the office. To be honest, I was a bit jealous; it's been a long time since I've seen her that excited."

"Really?" Yokozawa couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice.

"Uh huh."

For a moment there was an uncomfortable silence then the editor's voice became playful again. "You know, if you make it through this, I'm sure I can find some way to make it up to you…"

Yokozawa snorted, "Hummph." Although the promise in Kirishima's voice sent a flood of warmth coursing into his lower regions.

"Pervert, you shouldn't say such things when I'm stuck in a store filled with children."

"Ah, who's the pervert now, Taka-chan? I didn't say how it was I would soothe you," Kirishima teased.

Caught in his own lustful thoughts Yokozawa felt the heat that had settled in his groin now shoot throughout his body.

"I loathe you and I'm hanging up."

"I love you too, Takafumi," Kirishima's voice was both playful and serious. He hung up before Yokozawa could retort.

Yokozawa stared at his dead phone.

"Like I said, 'you're an ass'," he muttered as he flipped it closed and stuck it in his pocket, but there was no malice his voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and I appreciate all the kudos! Wouldn't shun another comment or two either though.


	8. Realizations

* * *

Yokozawa had only just finished putting his phone away when his eye caught a flash of color. He turned to see Hiyori approaching him from the direction of the dressing rooms; the shop clerk followed not far behind.

"What do you think, Onii-chan?" Hiyori mad a little twirl and the skirt of the pink dress fluffed up. "Do you like it?"

Overwhelmed by a flash of petticoat ruffles beneath the pleats, Yokozawa paled. "It's a nice color," he forwarded cautiously.

Catching something amiss in her Onii-chan's tone, Hiyori cocked her head. "But?..."

This whole episode was becoming more uncomfortable by the moment. Yokozawa silently cursed Kirishima again for abandoning him to this task: this was something that a mother should be doing not some uncouth salesman.

"You don't think it's cute, Onii-chan? Yuki's mom did."

There were times Yokozawa found his sense of responsibility very troublesome and this, he realized, was going to be one of them. He knew that the easiest route would be to simply tell Hiyori she looked very nice so they could buy the dress and be done with it. However, his feelings for Kirishima's little daughter were not going to allow him to do this.

"Mmm," He nodded in affirmation at last. Though honestly, to him, what made the dress at all pleasing was the person in it.

Hiyori could tell that there was more he wanted to say, so she stopped her swishing about and waited.

"Errr…" Yokozawa coughed lightly before managing to finally blurt out, "Is it meant to be so short?" The skirt of the dress was cut high and about half of Hiyori's thighs were visible.

The very thought of this made him very uneasy. As Yokozawa wondered how Hiyori would be able to navigate the world in such a garment without being revealed, the store suddenly felt very warm.

"It's a version of the Lolita. There's specialty bloomers the girls wear underneath," the salesclerk offered in the dress' defense. She stepped up closer to Hiyori to create an appearance of solidarity. She gestured towards the manikins displayed over the racks on the far wall.

"It a very popular style this season."

Dark brows dipped down with further dismay as Yokozawa surveyed the plastic forms. _As if the name of the style isn't disconcerting enough. T_ hey were posed in ways that struck him as highly provocative.

Looking back at Hiyori, he cleared his throat again. Yokozawa's tie felt very constricting at the moment. He wasn't sure how to articulate what he thought, or if it was something that was appropriate for him to say, since he wasn't her parent. Still, the protectiveness that burned in his chest couldn't be denied.

Tact had never been his strong point and feeling the need to be careful with his words made his temples start to pulse. Then an idea came to him.

"Well, I don't know much about current styles, but… All those ruffles… Isn't that very childish? Don't you want something to show your Papa you're a young lady now, Hiyori?"

A small crease formed on Hiyori's smooth brow. She looked down at the dress thoughtfully.

"I _am_ turning eleven…"

"Yes," Yokozawa held his breath as he watched her consider his words.

"Maybe I should try on that other dress?"

Yokozawa nodded, afraid to say anything that might inadvertently change her mind.

"Okay, Onii-chan. I'll be back in a minute!"

Once Hiyori and the frowning salesclerk had trooped back to the fitting rooms, Yokozawa exhaled the breath he'd been holding. His sigh turned into a curse as his phone buzzed.

Assuming it was his annoying lover again, he answered it without looking at the number.

"I am going to kick your ass for this…"

One the other end of the line Henmi let out a frightened yelp. "I know… I'm so sorry, Yokozawa-san; I was terribly negligent. There's really no excuse …"

Gray eyes widened hearing the clerk's voice and Yokozawa brought his free hand to his forehead in an attempt to still the twitch in his brow.

"Ah, Henmi…"

Before he could offer some lame explanation for his rudeness, Henmi rushed forward in a burst, "I know you must have realized my failure as soon as you left the office, Yokozawa-san.

"You told me clearly yesterday to get those figures from you for the Ruzuki Manga Chain's account when we met this morning. But then there was that issue with the Tomo files and their import records and I forgot… So, sorry again, Yokozawa-san; I apologize once more for my incompetence."

Yokozawa could have told Henmi it wasn't really an issue; the Ruzuki account wasn't that pressing. But then he'd have to apologize for his rude greeting and, sitting amidst the Lolita-filled store, the sales manager had endured about all the humiliation he could for one day.

"I am glad you caught your error, Henmi." Modulating his tone, Yokozawa tried to sound stern but not too harsh. With all of his worry about going shopping with Hiyori he too had forgotten all about his earlier order.

"Yes, Yokozawa-san." Henmi sighed in relief, hearing only moderate annoyance in his manager's voice. "Again, I am sorry. I know you have left for the day, but if you could send me those figures so I can finish the Ruzuki report I would be very grateful. I promise I'll be more mindful in the future.

"Never worry about calling after hours, Henmi." As long as they'd worked together Yokozawa figured his clerk should have known by now that the "Dark Horse" rarely entirely left the office.

His free hand unconsciously dipped down, long fingers feeling for his bag at the base of the chair he sat in. Yokozawa felt a moment of panic when they encountered only empty air. Then, looking down to see where it might have gone, he suddenly remembered he'd given his work case to Kirishima.

_Even when he's being helpful he's troublesome._

"It will take me a few minutes to pull them up, Henmi. But I'll get them off to you shortly."

"Ah, Thank you so much, Yokozawa-san. Again, my apologies."

Yokozawa gave a light grunt signifying both his acceptance of Henmi's apology and the clerk's dismissal and ended the call. Within moments, following this, he was on the line again, waiting for Kirishima to pick up his cell.

Kirishima's voice was bright when he answered on the second ring. "I'd like to think that you've been missing me so much you needed to hear my dulcet tones again already. But sadly, I imagine there's some other reason you rang. Is everything okay?"

"Hardly," Yokozawa snorted as stormy eyes re-surveyed his surroundings. "That's not why I called though."

"I need you to get into my laptop for me and e-mail a file to Henmi."

"Sure."

There were a few moments of quiet as presumably Kirishima pulled Yokozawa's laptop from his bag and powered it up. Kirishima's tone had become suddenly serious at the mention of work but it quickly became sly again. "I mean, it's the least I can do."

"Yes. It is."

Kirishima chuckled at his lover's cool reply. "I imagine you'd like to thrash my tail about now."

"In a manner of speaking… Yes."

Another chuckle escaped Kirishima. "Well, maybe I can arrange for that to happen… in a manner of speaking… My parents want to take Hiyo for the night."

Hearing this, despite all the aggravation he was enduring, Yokozawa felt a familiar heat rush through his core and his pulse accelerate. It had been some time since he'd topped Kirishima and the implied offer in his lover's words stirred him.

"Er… I have an appointment tonight," Yokozawa hoped he didn't sound as guilty as he felt.

"Oh? Business?" Kirishima was unable to keep the disappointment out of his voice but quickly recovered. "Sorry to pry.

"Well, look, we'll have the whole night, so I don't mind getting a late start if you don't. We can sleep in too, since Mom said they'd bring Hiyo back after lunch."

"Ummm… We'll see." Given the nature of his meeting Yokozawa wasn't sure how he felt about this.

"You know, I love it when you play hard to get."

Yokozawa snorted but otherwise refrained from rising to Kirishima's playful baiting. "Let me give you my password so you can get that file sent and get back to your own work." An uncomfortable pang twisted his stomach.

He had just gotten off the phone with Kirishima when Hiyori re-emerged from the dressing rooms again, this time wearing the green dress.

"How about this one?" Hiyori eyed him expectantly.

It was incredibly difficult for Yokozawa to keep his face blank: the green dress was worse than the pink one.

While the skirt extended farther down Hiyori's slim legs, it was fitted much more tightly. Rather than be one continuous pieces the blouse part of the garment was separate and a bit of Hiyori's smooth midriff peeked out. Even more distressing, however, was that the sleeveless top was just as tight as the skirt. The neck dipped down too and the cut of it gave the illusion of a swell to Hiyori's chest.

_As least I hope it's an illusion… Dear Lord, Hiyori is only eleven! At what age does that stuff even start to happen?_

Yokozawa realized anew how little he really knew about the female sex.

_What are we… I mean, what is Kirishima going to do when those things really begin?_ He cringed internally imagining Kirishima fumbling around his daughter's development the same way he did the kitchen.

Not that he had any desire to take on that task.

He wondered if maybe something subtle could be said to Yuki's mother to garner her future assistance.

"Yuki's mom thought this one was super cute too." Hiyori's voice held a slightly pleading tone.

A frown creased Yokozawa's brow at the woman's questionable choices. _No, definitely not Yuki's mom then… Maybe Kirishima's mother?_

"You don't like this one either, Onii-chan?"

"Eh?"

Realizing Hiyori had seen his frown and thought it was reflected at her choice, Yokozawa smoothed out his expression but the fierce flash of protectiveness he'd felt at seeing the last dress had gripped him again. He knew all too well the way that men looked at young women. Though Hiyori was not even out of girlhood yet, such an outfit seemed designed to pave the way for that kind of thing.

Maybe he was just getting old, but to him the dress seemed more appropriate for a night club than a school festival.

_What kind of fashion is this, that would want to make a little girl appear so sordid?_

Suddenly Yokozawa felt convicted. While he'd never paid much attention to women or what they wore, he certainly had paid attention to the things other men said about them. More than once at a sales conference or in the company of colleagues he'd even added a comment or two of his own to fit in.

Considering this, two sudden terrible realizations hit Yokozawa.

The first was all the women he'd spoken coarsely of had been girls like Hiyori once.

The second was that, in those instances of poor talk, he really had been pretending any sort of interest in them. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time a woman actually sparked him in such a way.

_All this time I thought it was just Takano… but maybe… Maybe I really am just a homo…_

At this thought Yokozawa felt his cheeks suddenly flush while a hard knot cinched in his stomach.

"Onii-chan? Are you okay?"

Coming back to himself, Yokozawa's gaze cleared and he saw a pair of worried, warm brown eyes studying him. Fighting back the feelings that had suddenly steamrollered him, he tried his best to smile, though it formed itself as more of a grimace.

"I'm fine, Hiyori-chan." His mind raced frantically for something coherent to say in the midst of his tumultuous thoughts.

"I'm just rather worried that dress won't be warm enough." Yokozawa could tell as soon as he'd said this, that this time Hiyori was not going to accept his excuses so readily.

"But then you _do_ think it's cute, Onii-chan?"

"Er…" Yokozawa was at a loss. Finally he surrendered and looked at Hiyori earnestly.

"Hiyori, more than 'cute' I'd rather see you look pretty."

Hiyori's eyes grew wide at these words. "Y-you think I could look pretty, Onii-chan?"

The tentativeness in her question made Yokozawa's heart ache in an unexpected way. Not wanting Hiyori to see how she moved him, he frowned and gave a harsh snort.

"Of course! What kind of question is that? You're already pretty, Hiyori. What I'm saying is why muck it up with 'cute'?" After saying this Yokozawa tensed, unsure of the response his blunt words might provoke. However he was completely unprepared for what happened next.

He started when Hiyori's thin arms were suddenly around his neck, catching him in a tight hug.

"Thank you, Onii-san," she whispered into his ear before she released him and stepped back smiling at Yokozawa with shining eyes.

Yokozawa turned his head, uncomfortable with the warmth in Hiyori's gaze. "Yes… well…"

"Onii-chan, would you _please_ pick out a dress for me? Something pretty?"

_Me and my stupid mouth, always getting myself into trouble._ Yokozawa wished desperately that there was some way he could blame Kirishima for this, but he knew too well he'd created the particular part of the mess he was in at the moment.

With great reluctance he rose from his chair. He straightened his tie and moved solemnly into the racks. Mothers and daughters saw him approaching and stepped aside so that he could pass. Hiyori trailed behind him still wearing the green dress.

Gulping down the lump in his throat Yokozawa turned to Hiyori. "What size are you, Hiyori-chan?"

Once Hiyori chirped out her answer, he began sifting methodically through the racks. After a number of tense minutes, Yokozawa's eyes alighted on a dress and after a moment's more consideration, he pulled it out and offered it uncertainly for Hiyori's approval.

He was surprised by a wonderful smile as Hiyori studied the garment. "Oh, Onii-chan… that _is_ pretty!"

"I'm going to try it on right now!"

After carefully taking the dress from him, Hiyori headed off to the fitting rooms one more time.

Yokozawa slipped from amidst the rows and moved over to the chairs again but he didn't sit down. He worried that if he did he wouldn't be able to pry himself out of it again, should Hiyori decide she didn't like his selection and he had to go back out into the racks.

Fortunately it didn't take long before Hiyori reappeared. Gray eyes grew wide when Yokozawa saw Kirishima's little daughter.

The dress had a fitted bodice with quarter sleeves and a slightly flared skirt. Its fabric was the palest lavender with an intricate floral pattern of tiny green leaves and darker purple blossoms. A cropped, long-sleeved sweater of a fine knit in the same deep color as the blooms on the dress came with it.

The look was youthful, but refined and Hiyori was elegant in it. The color brought out the honeyed tones in her hair and made her eyes three shades darker.

Coming out of the dressing room Hiyori was beaming, but she burned even brighter seeing the expression on her Onii-chan's face. Still, she drew up closer and did a small circle. "What do you think?"

Yokozawa felt a different kind of burning is his chest seeing Hiyori in this dress. He swallowed the new lump that had formed in his throat.

"Perfect."

It was the only word that came to him.

The smile he received in response was dazzling.

"I take this one." Hiyori sounded very grown up as she turned to the rather wide-eyed sales woman standing behind her. Then with a graceful flounce, she turned and headed back to the dressing rooms.

Before following Hiyori the sales clerk turned back to Yokozawa and gave him a re-appraising gaze. "You know you really have an incredibly good eye."

As soon as the woman left, Yokozawa staggered over and sat down again in the chair, hard. He was exhausted and relieved that his ordeal was over, but more than that, the shop assistant's words had rocked him.

_A good eye? Oh Kami-sama, I really am a homo…_

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


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